September is National Milkshake Month! I typically opt for some sort of chocolate variation: dark chocolate, chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate with brownies. Lately I’ve been craving something a bit different for my creamy, ice cold treat. Earlier this summer at Blogger Bash, the folks at Johnny Rockets challenged attendees to create our own crave-worthy milkshake. Inspired by my childhood Louisianian treat, I created this salted pecan praline milkshake.

Growing up my mother cooked mostly Vietnamese foods, but a coworker gave her a photocopy of a handwritten recipe for pecan pralines. (I say praw-leens but some say pray-leens. They’re both correct.) The recipe must have passed through many hands, because the copy my mother tacked to our kitchen bulletin board was a copy of a copy of a copy. After my mom toiled over the stove, stirring, stirring, stirring until her arms ached, it was obvious why this particular praline recipe was so popular. The pralines tasted of pure heaven.

When I first imagined the recipe for this salted pecan praline milkshake, I asked my mother for a copy of this recipe. Alas, she no longer has it since, due to health reasons, she’s had to cut back on her sugar consumption. The recipe was lost to us.  After prowling the internet for recipes, I realize that I didn’t want to toil over the stove like my mother did.

READ MORE: Chocolate chip cafe au lait smoothie inspired by my favorite place for beignets.

Instead, I created a simpler recipe for pecan pralines. Started on the stove top, they’re finished in the oven with a slightly crunchier texture than traditional pralines. They were just as buttery and crumbly sweet, but with a hint of nutty caramel. And a sprinkle of sea salt just they came out the oven completed the flavor profile I was looking for.

The pralines fall apart into crunchy, buttery, nutty bits after they’re blended with milk and butter pecan ice cream. Add a dollop of salted caramel whipped cream, and I can satisfy my inner child’s craving for a Louisiana praline in an ice cold creamy shake. My kids shoved spoonfuls of the salted pecan praline milkshake in their mouths. For a sweet five minutes, the only sounds I could hear from them were slurps of happiness.

What’s your favorite kind of milkshake?

Salted Pecan Praline Milkshake Recipe

For this recipe, you’ll need a 1/4 cup of salted pecan pralines. The recipe can be found here.

Salted Pecan Praline Milkshake

Yield: 1-2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Makes one generous milkshake or two small ones.

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Ingredients

• 3 generous scoops of butter pecan ice cream (approx 3 cups)
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of pecan pralines, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tablespoon of salted caramel syrup (the kind used for flavoring coffee)

Instructions

Set ice cream on counter to soften 10-15 minutes.

In a blender, add ice cream, milk, and pecan praline crumble. Blend until smooth. Milkshake should be thick. Top with whip cream or make salted whipped cream (see next step)

Salted caramel whipped cream (optional): in bowl, add whipping cream and salted caramel syrup. Whisk by hand or machine until fluffy. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.